Wind-resistant reversible umbrella



April 16, 1957 M. KOLLER 2,788,792

WIND-RESISTANT REVERSIBLE UMBRELLA Filed March 2, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. MORRIS KOLLER 2 A TORNEY A ril 16, 1957 M. KQLLERWIND-RESISTANT REVERSIBLE UMBRELLA 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2, 1955INVENTOR. MORRIS KOLLER ATTORNEY April 16, 1957 M. KOLLER ,78

WIND-RESISTANT REVERSIBLE UMBRELLA Filed March 2, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR. MORRIS KOLLER ATTORNEY United States Patent WIND-RESISTANTREVERSIBLE UMBRELLA Morris Koller, Philadelphimla.

Application March 2, 1955, Serial No. 491,580

3 Claims. (Cl. 135-20) My invention relates to an umbrella, and moreparticlularly, relates to a wind-resistant umbrella which may bereversed in curvature without damage.

Hcretofore, reversible umbrellas have employed complicated lever andspring systems to enable the umbrella cover and ribs to reverse indirection without tearing or incurring other damage when gusts of windwould strike from below.

It, therefore, is an object of my invention to provide an umbrella whichwill reverse in curvature without damage to any of its parts when struckby wind, rain, or hail gusts from below.

Another object of my invention is to provide a reversible umbrellahaving a pleasing downwardly, concave contour when in normal raisedposition.

Another object of my invention is to provide a reversible umbrella whichmay easily be returned by the user to normal raised position should theumbrella be blown inside out by the elements.

Another object of my invention is to provide a reversible umbrellahaving a pagoda-like appearance which will continue to be weatherproofwithout sustaining damage when guests of wind strike the umbrella frombelow.

Other objects of my invention are to provide an improved device of thecharacter described, which is easily and economically produced, that issturdy in construction, and highly efficient in operation.

With this and related objects in view, my invention consists in thedetails of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fullyunderstood from the following description when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a sectional view showing an umbrella embodying my inventionwherein the umbrella is shown in normal opened position and the cover isshaped over the ribs in a downwardly concave direction.

Fig. 2. is a sectional view showing the umbrella in a position whereinthe ribs are flexed in an upwardly concave direction thereby enablingthe cover to reverse in curvature without undue strain on the fabric.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the umbrella after it has completedits reverse curvature.

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view of a modification in my umbrellawherein the cover is mounted upon a slideable collar to provide a shapevariation which is pagodalike in appearance.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the pagoda umbrella showing the ribsflexed in an opposite direction about the resilient leaf.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the pagoda-like umbrella as it has beencompletely blown inside out.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the manner inwhich the cover is drawn taut over the resilient ribs.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing the resilient portion ofthe rib flexed upwardly concave as the umbrella has initiated itsreverse in curvature.

2,788,792 Patented Apr. 16, 1957 Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the riband showing the resilient leaf portion embodying my invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, in which similarreference characters refer to similar parts, I show a reversibleumbrella having a central staff 10, a runner 12 slideable thereon, and afabric cover 14. Permanently afiixed to the upper portion of the stafi10 is a collar 16 to which is pivotally mounted a plurality of ribs 18.The ribs 18 are substantially channel-shaped in cross-section and extendradially outward from the staff 10. A like plurality of stretchers 20are each pivotally connected at one end to the runner 12 and at theother end to a point intermediate the ends of a respective rib.

In my preferred embodiment, the stretchers 20 are connected at a pointapproximately one inch inwardly on the ribs 18 as compared to aconventional umbrella. A latching ear 22 mounted upon the staff 10serves to engage the runner 12 to hold the rib structure in extendedposition. In order to maintain greater pressure of the runner 12 againstthe latching ear 22 and to provide additional reverse thrust as theumbrella is raised, a spring 24 is axially compressed upon the shaft 10.

Each of the ribs 18 is provided with a flattened portion 26 adjacent itsouter end to define a resilient leaf. When the umbrella is raised intoits open position, the cover 14 is drawn taut over the ribs 18 andflexes the resilient portion 26 of the ribs so that the cover assumes apleasing downwardly concave contour. This contour is termed in the tradeas an India type umbrella.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6, I show an umbrella shape modification which iscommonly referred to by the trade as a pagoda-type. In this embodiment,the cover 14 is secured at its central portion to a sleeve 30 which isslideable upon the staff 10 above the fixed collar 16. The staff 10 hasa greater dimension above the fixed collar 16 than the India typeumbrella heretofore described. A spring 32 is axially mounted upon thestaff 10 intermediate its upper end and the collar 16, the ribs 18, thestretchers 20 and the runner 12 being substantially identical inconstruction and operation to the India type umbrella.

When the pagoda umbrella is raised, the spring 32 thrusts against thesleeve 30 and the center portion of the cover 28 is forced upward toform a canopy top 34.

In both the India type and the pagoda type umbrellas herein described,the leaf 26 flexes and buckles during the reverse in contour of thecover. This results in a transitory shortening of the eifective lengthof the ribs 18. Therefore, undue tensile stress upon the fabric cover issubstantially eliminated either when the cover is blown inside out orwhen manually returned to normal operating position.

Although my invention has been described in considerable detail, suchdescription is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting,since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of theinvention is to be determined as claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A reversible umbrella comprising a central staff, a cover, a runnerslideable upon said stafi, a plurality of ribs pivotally connected to afixed collar upon said staff and radially extending outward therefrom, alike plurality of stretchers, each pivotally connected at one end tosaid runner and at the other end to a point intermediate the ends of arespective rib, each said rib having a flattened portion adjacent itsouter end, said flattened portion forming a resilient leaf, a sleeveslideable upon said shaft adjacent its upper end, a spring axiallycompressed upon said shaft intermediate said sleeve and said fixedcollar, said cover being aflixed to said sleeve and being drawn oversaid ribs and flexing the resilient portion of said ribs whereby saidcover assumes a downwardly concave contour having a centrally locatedcanopy when the urnbrella is in a normally extended position.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the resilient leaf flexes andbuckles during a reverse in c ntour of the cover to transitorily shortenthe efiective length of the ribs when said cover is blown inside out orwhen manually returned to normal operating position.

3. A reversible umbrella comprising a central stafi, a sleeve and arunner, each 'slidable upon said staff, afixed collar mounted upon saidstafi intermediate said sleeve and said runner, a plurality of ribspivotally connected to said fixed collar and radially extending outwardtherer from, a like plurality of 'stretch'ers, each of said stretchershaving one end pivotally connected to said runner and the other endpivotally connected to a r'ibsintermediate the ribs ends, each of saidribs having a flattened portion adjacent its outer end, said flattenedportion forming a resilient leaf, a spring axially compressed upon saidshaft intermediate said sleeve and said fixed collar, a latching 1 ing adownwardly concave contour about each resilient leaf with a centrallylocated canopy when the umbrella is in an open position, said ribs beingadapted to flex about the resilient leaf during a reverse in contour'ofsaid cover when said cover is blown inside out or when manually returnedto closed position. i i 7 References Cited in "the file of this patent"UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,064,994' R086 11.1116 17, 1913 1,109,854 McCabeSeptn8, 1914 1,192,638 Hull July 25 1916 2,666,442 Fortner Jan. 19, 1954

